Facebook terms change sparks debate

Untagging yourself from that awful photo doesn't get rid of it, so deleting it entirely will ensure it's gone forever, right?
    Not necessarily.
    Facebook.com updated its terms of service a couple weeks ago, reigniting a debate on the policy of information sharing over the Internet. Unlike rules in other media that are rather black and white, the rules governing a social networking site tend to operate without a precedent.
    The old and new terms of service both state that users give Facebook a license to use content "on or in connection with the Facebook service or the promotion thereof." The new agreement, however, eliminates language saying the license would "automatically expire" if users delete accounts or remove information. Much of the controversy stems from the fact that Facebook posted the change on its official blog rather than sending out a notification to inform users. In other words, current Facebook users are subjected to the new terms of service, perhaps unknowingly, without ever having been asked to sign off on the changes. This raises more serious questions about what future changes Facebook could make to the site's terms and conditions without informing users.
    "We wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want," Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on the blog on Monday in response to the controversy. "The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work."
    But under the terms of service, Facebook has the rights to freely use anything people add to the site, and users surrender control of any pictures or messages sent to friends.
    So could Facebook exploit the site's users to profit?
    Zuckerberg is worth about $1.5 billion according to Forbes. If you take into account Microsoft's 2007 purchase of a 1.6-percent stake in Facebook for $240 million, the social networking giant is worth an estimated $15 billion. But other than revenue from its investors, Facebook has fallen under sharp criticism because of a lack of a clear plan to make money. They might be walking a fine line, but legally, Facebook might be able to get away with incorporating user-posted content into target advertisements. Maybe Zuckerberg will author a "Best of" book of college party stories, written by students everywhere.
    The moral of this story? Don't put anything on Facebook you wouldn't be comfortable with your mother seeing. Or a future employer. The Internet is a public medium, and anything you do or say could essentially be stored forever. Now, more than ever it seems, we as college students need to be careful about monitoring our online content. Unless we want to beat Facebook to the punch and write that "Best of" book first.